


First, Last, and Eternal

by orphan_account



Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Brainwashing, Dark!Nightlight, Jamie is Nightlight, Kinda, M/M, pitch is an ass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2013-09-12
Packaged: 2017-12-26 03:37:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/961132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jamie, because he was the last light, eventually becomes Nightlight, guardian of courage. Of course, then everything goes horribly wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pretzel_logic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretzel_logic/gifts).
  * Inspired by [First, Last, and Eternal](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/27238) by GR. 



"Don't hurt him!" Jack screamed, straining against the shadows which pinned his hands to the alley wall. Stupid, stupid stupid. Halloween was one of the nights when Pitch was strongest, most able to exact revenge. He should've steered Jamie away from the abandoned buildings, regardless of how they made the perfect setting for a quick video. Should've been more insistent that they go straight to Cupcake's party. Now his First Light, his Jamie, his closest friend ever was dangling from Pitch's raised hands and kicking helplessly.

"Oh, what makes you think I would hurt him?" Pitch chuckled darkly, hands tightening around the teen's neck. Jamie's kicking slowed, and Jack stopped breathing when his very first Believer stopped moving.

"Why look, he's fallen asleep." Pitch said mockingly. "He seems so comfortable up here, it'd be a shame to wake him."

"LET HIM GO!" Jack screeched, ice erupting from the ground like shards of glass. "YOU'RE KILLING HIM!"

"Oh, am I?" Pitch chuckled. "I'll just drop him here, then." he swung Jamie over the deadly-sharp ice, and Jack felt his heart legitimately stop for a second in sheer terror before resuming at double its previous rate.

"NO!"

A shadow swallowed Jamie up mere moments before he was impaled by the knives of ice.

"Well, then." Pitch smirked, "If you don't want him, I suppose I'll be keeping him."

"I swear, Pitch. If you lay another finger on him-"

"You'll what, make a snowman? Start a snowball fight?"

"Turn your entire Realm into a blizzard." Jack spat, breathing heavily. The shadow manacles seemed to be sapping his power, making it impossible to form sufficient ice-armour to break free.

"Oh, really?" Pitch practically leered, picking up Jack's staff. "Well I suppose you won't be needing this, either. I'll see you at the rescue attempt, Frost."

Jack struggled against the shadows, but it was futile. "Stay and fight, you coward!" Jack screamed as Pitch vanished into the darkness of the alley, his laugh ringing eerily between the brick walls and reminding Jack uncomfortably of that fateful Easter. He'd failed again, failed the Guardians, failed Jamie, failed everyone.

"Dammit." he gasped, scrubbing away his tears before they could crystalise. "Dammit!"


	2. Chapter 2

Pitch gazed listlessly at the still-unconscious teenager. Honestly, he'd expected less sleeping and more amusing escape attempts, especially from this one. The NightMares hadn't touched him, and there was no blood, so why the hell wasn't he waking up?

One of the shafts of dim light brightened, and before Pitch's eyes a flock of Moonbeams floated down into his lair. What were those things doing in his Realm?

They floated over to Jamie, and two-by-two began settling on his major joints. First his knees, then his elbows, then his shoulders. Three settled in a line down his chest, and Pitch raised an eyebrow as the last one nestled on the teen's head. His eyebrow quickly lowered, however, as the Moonbeams began to glow brighter. Jamie Bennett was changing, his entire body shifting to a more ethereal form that seemed to be all arms and legs like sticks. His hair had become a brilliant silver, with long, random curls which defied gravity and bobbed in a nonexistent wind. When the glow faded, Pitch wondered for a moment if he was still seeing after-images. But no, the Bennett child was glowing dimly, as were the baubles on his new outfit, one for each of the Moonbeams which landed below his neck.

"Well, that's new." he quipped, walking closer to lean over the slab table. "What has that idiotic Tsar done this time?"

The boy's eyes flew open, and Pitch saw irises not dissimilar to his own. The only difference was that where he had gold, this Bennett Spirit had white. Jamie sat up and looked around almost desperately, his stunning eyes finally settling on Pitch himself. "Who am I?" he whispered.

Lords, even his voice sounded unearthly. Come to think of it, he looked rather like a star-child. But they had all been killed off ages ago. Pitch realised somewhat belatedly that Jamie was still waiting for an answer, and the story wove itself in an instant within Pitch's mind. "He has returned you." Pitch smiled, dark tears rolling easily down his cheeks and an expert quaver in his voice. "My Nightlight."

Jamie blinked once. "Do we know each other?" he asked slowly, looking around at what he could see of the Realm.

If there had been one thing he learnt from the original Nightlight during their thousand years of mutual entrapment, it had been how to fake emotions. "You don't remember?" Pitch asked breathlessly.

"No." Jamie shook his head. "Not you, or this place, or anything much."

Pitch contorted his face into an expression of shock and dismay. "Nothing?" he made his voice crack, as if he were about to cry.

Jamie's beautiful eyes went wide, and he grabbed Pitch's hands. "I'm sorry." he he said, pulling Pitch in for a hug. "I don't know what happened, or what we used to be, but I'm willing to try." he held Pitch out and gave a dazzling smile. "How about you tell me, and we'll see if anything comes back."

Pitch feigned a sniffle, pulling away and sitting next to the newly minted spirit. "We were lovers." he began quietly. "You and I met on the Moonclipper, over a thousand years ago. For a long while we were friends, then a longer while as lovers. The other week we had a spat, and-" he wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat, both wholly unnecessary actions but vital for the charade. "You thought I was cheating with a little winter sprite by the name of Frost, and the fight..." he gave Jamie a pleading look, as if begging for forgiveness. "I should never have struck you."

Normally Pitch would've claimed to be a father figure, but the Bennett boy had a handsome enough face and now a body like he'd not seen since the death of his old foe. It was almost as if Nightlight had been reincarnated with a body some years older. Truly, an opportunity too good to pass up.

Jamie's face fell, but the pensive look was soon replaced by a loving smile. Had he taken the bait so thoroughly? That would be a first.

"Well, I still can't remember anything, but maybe it's for the best."

Pitch manufactured a heartbroken face, and Jamie laughed. He'd been expecting the same sound which had run through the alley before his arrival, but instead Jamie's chuckle was pure Star Child.

"It's for the best," he reiterated, "because I don't have to remember our fights. We can make plenty of new memories."

A pleasantly warm hand rested on Pitch's, gripping gently but firmly. "And I'd be honoured to have you as my lover."

Pitch beamed, not bothering to mask his elation. Perhaps, before his luck ran out, he should try and seal the Bennett boy to him more permanently. "In that case, I would like to ask you something I've been meaning to for a while." he reached into his robe as he stood, plucking an empty velvet box from some shadowy dresser drawer. A shadow solidified into solid onyx, with a black pearl set firmly in the band.

Dropping to one knee, he held out the pilfered box and opened it as he'd seen done in so many restaurants and twilit parks. "Nightlight, will you marry me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, just to be perfectly clear, **every single romantic thing Pitch does is a ploy.** He does feel some physical attraction to Jamie's new spirit body, cuz come on those eyes are hot, but he is using falsified romance as a tool to keep Jamie away from the Guardians. At this moment, Jamie is kinda fooling himself into believing he and Pitch were romantically involved. There may be actual romance between them later, but not yet. Probably not until after some smut.
> 
> Also, Pitch will address Jamie as Nightlight when they're speaking, but in his head he still thinks of him as Jamie. He recognised Nightlight as a worthy opponent, but nothing more. The name was simply the first thing to come to mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Pitch gave a shy smile as Jamie pressed his hands to his mouth.

"I- I don't know what to say." he squeaked.

"Just say yes, Nightlight. Please, we were to be Bonded before you hit your head, and I know how much you love humans and their silly customs." he hed the box slightly higher, tilting it so the pearl caught and reflected Jamie's light.

"I-" Jamie smiled slowly, lowering his hands. "I will."

Pitch carefully slid the ring onto Jamie's left ring finger, adjusting the band once it was seated so it wouldn't fit over the teen's first knuckle. Then he drew him in close, managing to smile as he buried his face in hair that shone like captured moonlight. "I love you." he whispered in Jamie's ear, feeling the shiver that ran down his spine in response. There was a moment of hesitation, confusion, but then slender luminescent arms came up and hugged him tightly.

"I love you too, Pitch."

Oh, he could get used to this. "We can be Bonded whenever you wish." he said quietly, pulling away to give Jamie a look of utter sincerity.

The new spirit blinked. "If we were already planning it, why not do it now? I don't want to miss out on what we had."

Pitch kissed him deeply, grabbing his hip. "Do you remember what Bonding entails?" he purred in Jamie's ear, sending electric tingles down his spine.

The sprite shook his head slowly, giving Pitch a look of confusion. The elder spirit chuckled, smoothing back hair which refused to lie properly. "Bonding occurs during intercourse, when both parties are invested in the relationship. It's a magical signature, of sorts. I will bear your mark, and you mine. The ring is merely a human formality."

Jamie's glow brightened with his smile, making Pitch squint slightly. "In that case." he slid off the table and sauntered over to Pitch. The transformation must have added a few inches, because now they were almost the same height. Jamie stepped closer, so they were standing almost toe to toe. "Where's the bed?"

\-----

Jack stumbled to his lake before pounding the ground three times with his fist. "Bunny, I need your help."

A minute later the pooka appeared, popping out of a tunnel which closed up right behind him. "What's the problem?"

"Pitch." Jack spat. "He took Jamie, and my staff, and I think he drained my powers or something because I haven't felt this weak in ages."

The taller Guardian stiffened, then scooped Jack up and threw him over his shoulder. "C'mon, we're gonna need North for this."

"For what?" Jack squirmed, trying futilely to wriggle free. "Bunny, I can walk!"

"Not as fast as I can run." he shot back, tapping his foot against the ground. "Hold on, Frostbite."

The ground swallowed them up, and Jack let out a yelp as they dropped a good few yards. Bunny let go of him, shifting to all fours, and Jack pulled himself onto the older Guardian's back. One terrifying piggyback ride later, he collapsed with relief into the clean, fresh snow of the north pole. "Please never do that again." he mumbled into the powder.

When there was no snappy comeback, he lifted his head and saw Bunny shooting across the ice towards the Workshop. Grumbling angrily, he levered himself up and began jogging towards the massive structure.


End file.
